A determination of the moisture content of peanuts is essential to peanut processing. After harvest the peanuts are dried until the moisture content is below 10.5% by weight. Drying the peanuts further adversely affects the flavor and desirability of the nut. Drying also decreases the weight of a farmer's bulk peanut product, thereby correspondingly decreasing the amount that the farmer is paid for the product. However, if peanuts are not sufficiently dried, they are susceptible to infection by the mold fungus Aspergillus flavus which releases the toxic substance aflatoxin.
To produce safe, high quality peanuts, the peanut moisture content is tested essentially continually during the drying process. Currently the most conventional method for determining peanut moisture content requires that operators shell approximately 1 kg of peanuts and load the shelled peanuts into laboratory equipment for testing. However, this process is time consuming and inconvenient and, due to the need for continuous testing, eventually wastes a significant amount of the peanut product.
The need exists for a relatively quick, non-destructive, and convenient means of measuring in-shell peanut moisture content. The current invention comprises a mobile method and apparatus that accurately, efficiently, and non-destructively measures the moisture content of in-shell peanuts.